Haunting Melodies
by Koshechka
Summary: When Yoko and Dark Schneider find a woman washed ashore, they take her to Metallicana only to discover that she had developed amnesia. The strange woman has an affinity for water and can use water magic but what happens when the prince and the Ice Lord have their eyes set on her for different reasons? Could there be peace in her torn mind once more or in Metallicana ever again?
1. Chapter 1: Cryptic Identity

**Disclaimer: **I do not own nor claim to own the characters involved in the _Bastard!_ series, they belong to Kazushi Hagiwara. I only claim ownership of Elira as she is of my own creation as well as any spells that are read here.

_**Haunting Melodies**_

Chapter 1 - Cryptic Identity

Bubbles swished around the end of the reddish hued tail fin, they floated to the surface before disappearing, diamond shapes of the sun beams filtered through the ocean, and a large shadow passed over it. It appeared to look like a ship, the tail fin paused in its powerful movements, the shadow passed over the reddish scales that slowly gradiented to purple until it reached fair skin. Silvery aqua colored hair flowed all around the half-fish human, obscuring the face from view as the massive shadow passed over the creature. Direction had changed as it swam up towards the hull of the ship, touching the bottom with delicate finger tips, wondering what could be harbored within. Before anything could be thought further, the ship rocked violently, the creature quickly surfaced to see the commotion, only to find that another ship had fired upon it. Large black spherical objects were launched from the cylindrical shapes. One landed near the creature but it managed to evade before ducking beneath the surface to help the wayward ship.

The half-fish humanoid had reached the hull, strong but delicate hands grabbed onto the ladder that was swinging carelessly from the side, the creature held a feminine shape with a thin light blue strapped dress and dark blue sash with a bow on the back covering her torso to the middle of the tail fin, and she peeked over the edge. Crimson eyes looked left and right before ascending onto the deck to see if she could be of any help to the wayward sailors. When she realized that they ignored her, she sighed, and was about to return to the water but a large sphere had crashed into the center of the ship. The impact threw debris everywhere, the mast was damaged, and began to fall towards the center of the ship. Another sphere rocked into it, she held on for balance as half her body was that of a fish, and she looked up to see the mast falling towards her. So she let go, in hopes that she wouldn't be injured too badly, but the mast had other plans. It smacked her in the head, immediately knocking her unconscious as she fell back into the water, her body floating with the currents of the ocean.

It carried her away from the battling ships, she twirled in the undertow, was tossed about in the violent currents, and she was finally set to rest in the calm waters that ebbed to and fro. Sea foam dotted around her face as she floated on her back, the sun shining upon her sleeping visage. Her body was gently placed upon the sandy banks of a deserted beach littered with various sizes of driftwood. The creature of the sea was unconscious still, her tail fin was curled as she lay on her back, it slowly faded into a set of human legs, a defense mechanism when out of the water. So she lay there in the darkness of her own mind, not knowing where she was or what she was as the event was traumatic for her beautiful and fragile mind.

-::::::-

The sun was shining brightly upon the beach as a woman chuckled aloud to no one in particular, her bare feet happily digging into the warm sand, and her amber eyes glowing at the man that stood beside her. He was smirking to her as they walked along the beach, enjoying one another's company as they sauntered through the sand with their hands linked together. As odd as the sight appeared with his long white hair and her short fiery orange hair but there was more to the couple than appearances. The woman stated happily, "It's so nice to be out here right Rushe?" The man she had indicated nodded but there was a bit of a scowl behind that false smile on his face.

"Yoko can we go back to my room at the palace and have a bit of fun?" he asked slyly. Her anger immediately boiled up as she whirled onto the man. Ready to strike him but he caught both of her hands deftly while tugging her towards his body. "Now, now, you've done that to me far too many times when I was much smaller than you. I don't think you'll be able to do it again." He leaned down to give her a kiss on the lips but she gasped loudly and maneuvered out of his grasp. Rushe sighed in frustration as he watched her dart around his body, the man turned around to see what had caught her attention, and noticed the woman that had just washed ashore. Blue eyes watched as she ran to the woman, he trudged behind her, not wanting to actually be involved in the task, and paused when he was a few feet away from the fallen woman. "Can we leave her here? She's intruding upon my private time," he stated grumpily.

Yet Yoko was by the woman's side, turning her onto her back, and she noticed that her eyes were closed with shallow breaths. "Rushe she's barely alive! We need to get her back to Metallicana as soon as possible!" she exclaimed. When her amber eyes darted from the fallen woman to the man behind her, he sighed once more in defeat as he knew he wouldn't win against her, and so the male approached the shipwrecked woman. He looked scrutiningly at her but for some reason the woman held a magical aura, he could sense it, so he bent down, and picked her up. "You're such a good person Rushe. I promise that once she's well then you and I will have some time together."

"Good because I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to last if you keep teasing me."

"Huh? Teasing you? What do you mean?"

A smirk arose on his face, "Oh you've been teasing me the whole time Yoko. Bending over, squatting, and brushing against me. I know you've been doing it on purpose to rile me up." At this, Yoko's face turned crimson and she couldn't find her voice. "But since you promised some alone time then I won't have to force myself on you." At this her outraged cry followed by calling him an idiot but he only smirked at her as he headed back to the horses that had been tethered by the tree line. _Riding back is going to be difficult with her but I'm sure we'll manage. This magic, it feels like water so Kall should be happy to someone of his element around._ The man chuckled at his own thoughts as his fiery spirited companion caught up to him. They mounted their horses and rode out to Metallicana as fast as they were able in order to save the woman's life that they had discovered on the shoreline.

-::::::-

Noises intruded upon her dark mind, some were loud, others were soft, but the presence of magic was all around her. She was sure that such noises were not around the last that she remembered but then again her head hurt. Yet the noises were so unbearable, her eyes flashed open at one particularly loud bang, and she sat upright. Immediately her head pounded, her pale hands covered both sides of her face while her eyes were squeezed shut, and her breathing was ragged. The noise seemed to have abated but the pounding was excruciating. A voice hollered somewhere in the room, "Father! Come quick! She's awake!" Pounding feet echoed in the hall, there were a set of hands on top of her own, but she refused to open her eyes or even try to move her hands for fear of the pounding to continue. "Father, I think there's something wrong with her head."

A deep male voice replied, "Yes, it appears that there is some slight head trauma but nothing serious." The man sat down on the bed as it sank, the other woman's hands had been removed and his hands were now on the strange woman's own. He whispered, "Don't be afraid. Remove your hands, I have something that will help you. I'm a priest, a healer." At the word, 'healer' she slowly removed her hands and slowly opened those crimson irises. They turned up to see the man with the deep voice, his eyes were dark brown with matching hair and a moustache. He handed her a cup, "Here drink this and your headache will go away." She took the cup gratefully, the first sip was tentative, but she seemed to like it all the same, and finished it off. The man was surprised, "Normally people don't like the taste of the herbs. It's usually too grassy for them. Did you like it?"

The woman with crimson eyes wanted to speak so she opened her mouth and her voice was soft, "Yes. It..was enjoyable." She gave him a weak smile that made him give her a strong warm one in return. "Who are you?" The priest smiled as he took the cup from her, he refilled it with a decanter he had brought with him, and handed the cup back to her. He noticed that she took smaller sips this time around.

"I'm Geo and this is my daughter Yoko. She found you on the beach," replied Geo. The woman standing in the room smiled at her and waved. Another few sips were taken and Geo was beginning to wonder where she had come from since no one in the kingdom so readily drank the herbal concoctions that the old woman created. _Hmm...there is something strange about her but I don't know what it is yet. For now I want her to get better so she can walk and take care of herself._ "Do you remember anything?"

She thought and replied, "I remember my name but that's it."

"What's your name?" asked Yoko.

Ruby colored orbs turned onto the amber ones of the priest's daughter as she replied with a small smile, "Elira."

Yoko replied, "Pleased to meet you. I'll be watching over you when my dad's not here. This way one of us will always be here for you."

"Thank you Yoko, Geo. I appreciate the help." She finished the second cup and handed it back to Geo but there was a rumbling from her stomach. Elira laughed, "I guess I'm hungry." The others joined in her laughter as she looked at them, "I don't want to intrude..."

"Don't worry Elira. You'll be fine. What do you like to eat?" asked Yoko. The woman that washed ashore shrugged, "I see. Well I'm going to get you some soup since it's easy to digest and I don't know how long you were out at sea. I'll be back!" With that the priest's daughter darted out of the small room which made Elira smile as her face turned to look at Geo.

He had placed the cup and decanter on a bureau not far from the bed before returning, "I know that it's going to be hard for you but you have amnesia which means you have no memory. I'm sure it won't impact you too much but know that your memory may never return. Is this alright with you?"

Elira smiled, "What will be, will be. If it returns, wonderful and if it does not then I will do my best to stay here and return the kindness you have shown me." Geo smiled at her words, she was a blessing but again there was that feeling of something more to her than she let on or she didn't remember. However it wasn't long lived as there were more noises outside in the hall. Elira looked at the open door, just as a burly man walked by carrying a sword followed by another leaner built man with long white hair. She quirked an eyebrow at Geo who only laughed. A dark skinned elf with long raven hair paused in the doorway, her crimson eyes turned towards the girl that sat in the bed, and she felt the same energy from her; water magic.

Her voice was like the forest, "Geo who is our newest guest?" She entered the room while closing the door behind her. The armor she wore squeaked as she took a seat in the free chair that was sitting idly by the small end table. "Your eyes..."

"I have the same color as yours," replied Elira.

The elf smiled, "I'm Arshes Nei."

"I'm Elira."

Arshes looked to Geo who replied, "Elira was found washed ashore by Yoko and Dark Schneider. She just woke up a short while ago and she has amnesia."

"Pity," replied Arshes. There seemed to be genuine sincerity in her voice that the priest had picked up on but didn't know a reason for it. She was cold to most people and this was something unique altogether but he was willing to let it ride its course out until Elira would remember something. "I do hope you regain your memory soon Elira."

"Thank you Arshes. You're very kind," replied Elira just as the elf excused herself and left the room while closing the door behind her. Her crimson eyes were curious about the elf, "She's very nice."

"Only to you, to others she's quite cold," answered Geo.

"Oh?" asked Elira and the great priest nodded as Yoko returned with some soup for the woman. It was placed into her hands, Elira blew on it gently, and took a tentative sip of it. It was a simple vegetable mixture but it tasted wonderful, so she looked at Yoko and smiled. "Thank you. It's delicious." Elira continued to sip at the soup while Yoko explained many different things about the castle. Once she finished her liquid food, Elira held the bowl on her lap, "Is there anything that I can do? I want to repay the kindness that you two have shown me so if there is anything that I can do to help then please let me know."

The father and daughter looked at one another as if they were thinking in tandem but it was Geo that looked back to Elira, "There isn't much to do here that's easy work. Perhaps you can help in the fields picking the crops or help with turning sheep wool into yarns and fabrics. There are many things to do in the kingdom so you can take your pick but that's only when you're strong enough to walk. For now, rest up and eat more food. I have to go see the old woman for more of this remedy while Yoko can get you more soup." His daughter nodded to him while he left and she took a seat next to Elira so that they could converse to one another. Mainly it was Yoko talking about the kingdom and what she could do to help out.

-::::::-

Weeks passed and Elira was able to regain her strength so she found herself beginning to wander around the castle, her eyes taking note of everything around her, and mentally putting it away for later use. She had not run into Arshes Nei yet and she was feeling a little sad but that feeling was quickly pushed away as she began to realize that the inhabitants of Metallicana were quite warm towards her. _These people are so friendly here. I do hope that I can find something to do here so that I can stay. Maybe I can help with tailoring. I'm sure I can learn something easy like that or quilting._ Even though the thought was pleasing to her, she just didn't feel right about anything. Nothing she saw seemed to fit her and so she traveled outside of the castle for the first time.

The marketplace was bustling with strange sounds, smells, and people. Elira didn't have any money but she wasn't looking to buy anything, in fact she wanted to see if a particular trade caught her eye. Although Elira was fascinated by everything that she saw, merchants hawked their wares, and even tried to get her to come over to them especially the ones that sold boots. She merely shook her head and noticed her bare feet, it may have been proper to get some sort of shoe but she just didn't like the encasements of her feet. She politely declined their offer and continued to search for something that she could help out with to repay the kingdom's hospitality.

She was rather fond of doing manual labor, as she enjoyed walking around the marketplace barefoot, although no one mentioned this to her. Elira greeted the inhabitants and they returned her warm greeting, her crimson eyes continued to glance around to see if she could find something useful, but there was nothing that caught her eye until she saw the scales glimmer in the sun. It was fish, they were lined on a plank for sale, cleaned, and beheaded. She immediately made her way over to the merchant, her eyes roamed over the fish, she knew their species.

"Hi young lady. See something you fancy?" came the grovelly voice of the merchant. She looked up at him and smiled, "Ah! So you're the new addition to Metallicana. Pleased to meet you."

"Pleasure to meet you as well sir. I noticed that you were selling river trout. Where do you get the trout?" The man stared at her and bellowed out a hearty laugh.

He grinned, "You sure do know your fish. Well, it so happens that I travel up river. It's rather large and houses quite a lot of fish so I always do well."

"Oh? But you didn't specify which river. There are quite a few around this area."

The man was silent as he found her statements to be far too observant, instead of embarrassing him any more, Elira took her leave of him, and said her farewells. Her bare feet quickly maneuvered her through the throng of people so that she could return to the castle. Once through the mass, she took in a deep breath of fresh air before continuing onward.

She greeted the guards at the entrance of the large wooden doors before entering, she paused in her walking so that she could take a few deep breaths of the still air in the castle, and something thrust her forward. Elira caught her balance, she turned around to see a large man with dark brown eyes, brown hair, and a large build. He was familiar to her and she recognized the sword he carried, she had seen him the day she awoke in Metallicana.

"My apologies, I should not have abruptly stopped. I was careless," she replied to him while curtsying her apology as best she could in her short dress.

"Don't worry about it. I could have watched where I was going too," he replied. "Name's Gara."

"I'm Elira."

"Ah, Arshes told me about you. The little lady who can't remember anything." Elira nodded, "Well come on, we're going in the same direction, and we don't want to hold up the line." At this she looked behind him to see no one and she laughed as they made their way through the castle. "You've got a nice laugh."

"Thank you."

Gara smiled, "So you can't remember anything at all huh?"

"Nothing but it's alright. What will be will be."

He nodded, "That's the truth. I hope you regain your memory Elira." She shrugged, he could tell that she wasn't particularly bothered by it and this made her intriguing to him. "Got any hobbies?"

Elira blinked her crimson eyes at him before smiling, "I like water. I'm not sure why but I have this fascination with water."

"Hmm...could be from your past. It's a start isn't it?"

The woman nodded as they parted ways and Elira entered her room. Once the door was closed, she turned around to see Yoko. "Hello."

"Hi Elira! I got you some new dresses made! They're just like the ones you're wearing now since you seem comfortable in them."

"Oh, thank you so much Yoko but this is too much!"

Yoko grinned and handed over the three new dresses, "Nonsense! I want to help you so I'm doing the best that I can. I hope you don't mind at all. Who were you talking to?"

Elira began to remove her light blue dress so that she could put on the orange one, "His name is Gara. He was very friendly to me and he mentioned something that seemed correct."

"Oh?"

The dress was put on and Elira smiled at it, "I like it. He said that my fascination with water could be from my past and I think he's right."


	2. Chapter 2: Arcane Manifestation

**Disclaimer: **I do not own nor claim to own the characters involved in the _Bastard!_ series, they belong to Kazushi Hagiwara. I only claim ownership of Elira as she is of my own creation as well as any spells that are read here. Spells are read in Latin even though the translation is not perfect.

_**Haunting Melodies**_

Chapter 2 - Arcane Manifestation

Bare feet padded through the castle until she paused in front of the young woman's room once more, she knocked on the large wooden door, and a woman with a similar shade of fiery hair opened up. She greeted the other one cheerfully while inviting her inside. "Why did you want to see me Yoko?"

She grinned, "Because I've got some shoes here for you. I know that you like to walk around barefoot but you need some kind of shoes so I got these for you." She brought out a pair of black shoes that were flat with a very low heel. Elira gratefully took them, she slipped them on, and scrunched up her nose since she wasn't used to wearing shoes. "It'll take some time but I'm sure that you'll get used to them." The other woman nodded while they parted ways and Yoko only grinned while Elira continued to wander around the castle.

Crimson eyes looked at everything that was present inside the castle, even though she had not yet found a way to be of use to Metallicana, her mind was working through the options. _I wonder if I could be of use in the kitchen but then again I'm sure that they already have enough workers there. From what I've seen, there are plenty of workers everywhere except with their healing department. I know that war often comes here since there were rumors from the people in the market but what can I do? Is there really a place for me here?_ Her mind was in deep though as she meandered through the halls. Her feet had paused by the Great Priest's chambers, _Perhaps he can find something for me to do._ With that thought settled, Elira rapped on the chamber door, there was a muffled response to enter, and she pushed open the door.

Her eyes were met with a male villager who was breathing heavily and sweating while laying under sheets on a bed. Elira entered, closed the door behind her, and approached cautiously. "Is he alright?" Geo shook his head, Elira stepped forward carefully to make sure that the Great Priest wouldn't tell her to back off. She placed a hand on the man's forehead, it was hot to the touch, and she looked back at the priest, "What is his ailment?"

"It appears to be a flu of some sort. I'm not sure how long he'll be able to last, my magic doesn't heal it only protects," he explained.

"Do we have any healers?"

"Just the old woman but I'm not sure if her herbal remedies will even help and Yoko is still learning."

Elira sighed, "May I try?" Geo nodded as he let her take the seat next to the ailing man, she sat down, and noticed the bowl of water. As her crimson eyes stared into the clear surface, she found herself getting lost in that stillness until there was nothing but dark blue water all around her. Bubbles swished around her as she looked around, unable to see anything more except a bright light.

"Elira? Elira? Are you alright?" came Geo's voice.

She blinked a few times and smiled to reassure him, "I'm fine. I can help." Without explaining further, she took the bowl of water into her lap. She placed her hand into the water while taking her other hand and placing in on the man's forehead. He opened his eyes to look at her she gave him a warm smile, "Worry not. I will help you." There was a faint smile on the man's face as he began to grip his chest, Geo began to fear the worst until Elira's eyes softened, and a blue glow encircled her hand on the man's forehead. Her voice was soft but strong, "_By aureus radius Solis, bona valetudo et tu unum sumus, confortans ui nunc merge, noxia vires nunc purget._" As her words left her mouth, the water from the bowl disappeared slowly in time with her verses, a blue glow encircled the ill villager, and when the final words left her mouth, the glow dissipated. Elira removed her hand from the man as he fell asleep, she took in a deep breath before letting it out, and looking at Geo.

The Great Priest stared at her with a slack jaw, "What did you just do?"

There was a smile in her face, "He needs some sleep but I healed him."

"You...know healing magic?!"

She shook her head, "No, I only know how to heal with water magic. I remembered something when I stared at the bowl of water and Gara told me earlier that my fascination with water could have been from my past so there's a missing piece that was solved." Elira was joyous at the fact that she had been able to discover a small piece of her mysterious life prior to washing up on a beach and that she now had something she could do to help. "I believe I found my place at Metallicana."

Geo couldn't help but smile in astonishment at Elira, "Yes I suppose you have. I will go and inform the king of this new development. It will be a great help with you around Elira." She only smiled at him as he left to inform the man's family and the king of his condition. Just as Geo closed the door behind him, the woman went to get up but there was a gentle hand on her arm. Crimson eyes stared into the brown ones of the villager, he was content.

"Thank you healer," he whispered.

Elira leaned over and replied quietly, "Get some rest and you can call me Elira. I do not deserve any special title, I'm glad that I could help you." The man nodded as he leaned back onto the pillow, Elira got up and pulled the sheet up to the man's chest before deciding to leave the chambers. She exited with a smile on her face before deciding to tell Yoko of her newfound gift. Ruby irises saw Gara staring at her with a quirked eyebrow, she padded up to him, and stated, "Hello Gara!"

"Hello missy. Why are you so happy?"

"I found something that can help the kingdom."

"Oh? What might the be?"

"I can heal illness using water."

Gara stared at her in shock but it soon passed, "So that's the energy that I felt a short while ago. It was strong too. So you can use water magic." She nodded and he grinned, "That's great! I've got a friend who's a master of ice magic. So much that he's known as the Ice Lord perhaps I'll introduce you two when he gets here."

"Why would you want to introduce us?"

"Well you use water magic and he uses ice magic. You two have something in common," he replied with a grin. At this she eyed him suspiciously, Elira had a hunch that Gara was up to something but she couldn't figure out exactly what it was at the moment.

"Are you trying to set he and I up on something?"

He grinned as he walked off, "I don't know. Maybe then again maybe not." He disappeared into the shadows leaving Elira more confused than ever about the Ninja Master.

"He's a strange one. I think I'll go ask Yoko about this," she said to herself. Elira took a general direction in which to travel but it didn't take her long to notice a dark skinned elf with raven hair and familiar crimson eyes. Elira waved to her until she got her attention, "Hello Arshes. How are you?"

"I'm fine," came the curt reply.

Elira nodded happily, "I can use water magic to heal illness."

The elf didn't seem surprised but she gave a warm smile and patted her on the shoulder, "I'm glad that you remembered something so wonderful." Arshes couldn't help but return the warm smile that Elira gave her in response to her compliment.

"I have a question for you." The Thunder Empress nodded, "Gara told me that he wants to introduce me to his friend that can use ice magic. When I asked him if he was setting us up for something, he gave me an ambiguous answer. Could you, perhaps, tell me?"

There was that secretive smile, "I'm sorry Elira but I cannot."

"Ah, it's alright then. I'm sure that you, Gara, and Dark Schneider have something that you're scheming. If I'm not mistaken, Yoko is probably part of it too right?" Arshes blinked in surprise at Elira which only caused the silvery haired woman to laugh. "I thought so. It's alright, I like surprises." With that they parted ways and Elira continued to meander through the castle so that she could memorize every nook and cranny of it for future use.

It didn't take long for the news of her healing abilities to spread through the castle, as she met other members of the castle, they greeted her warmly with the title of 'healer' and she could only sigh with a smile on her face. "They don't need to call me that," she said to herself. But as she began to wander around the castle, there was a commotion in the kitchen, and it was this commotion that caused Elira to happen upon the scene. A small child was laying on the floor, she was very pale, her lips blue, and her breathing very shallow. The mother of the girl was holding her in her arms and crying at her daughter's predicament. Elira squeezed her way in and knelt down, "Shush now, let me see what's wrong." As she put her ear against the chest, she could already tell that the girl had eaten a nightshade berry. "Did she eat any dark purple berries?"

The mother nodded, "Yes, she found them in the forest and ate them before I could stop her."

"I see. It was nightshade berries, they're very poisonous." Just as the mother was about to start another wailing fit, Elira put up her hand, "Get me the largest bowl of water you can along with an empty bowl please and hurry as quick as you can." She took the child from the mother's arms so that she could get the requested bowls. Her mind was already combing through the knowledge of water she had accessed from the prior villager. It seemed that she knew quite a bit of spells but she pushed her wandering thoughts aside so that she could locate the proper spell in which to rid the child of the poison. She placed one hand on the child's heart, the other hand was split between the bowl filled water and the empty one. Her voice was soft but clear to those around her, "_Ab intus pueri huius in viscera cor, ante diebus ad eam, aufero veneno infra, repone cum aqua, conuenientem_." Once more her hands glowed with a blue outline but this time there was a purple line of spheres that traveled from her hand on the child's heart. It wrapped around her arm, traveled around her neck, snaked down the opposite arm, and finally found its way into the empty bowl while the water traveled the same path in blue spheres towards the child's heart where they disappeared into her body.

It was an agonizing few minutes but once the trail of poison ended and the bowl was void of any water, Elira wiped the sweat from her brow with the hand that was not on the child. She picked her up, stood from her seated position on the floor, and handed the girl to her mother. There was a smile on her face, "She'll be fine with plenty of soup and bed rest. I removed the poison from her and replaced it with water so that she would not dehydrate from the process." The mother thanked her many times as did the others around her, she could only give them a sincere smile, "It was nothing. I'm glad that I could help." Elira took the bowl filled with the poison, she left the kitchen area, and headed out into the gardens. She looked around and placed her hand into the purple liquid, she didn't mutter any spells as the poison turned into a clear blue liquid. She had purified it and Elira proceeded to pour it into the rose bushes in the gardens. She returned the bowl to the kitchen staff before heading out of the castle to get some fresh air into her lungs but back tracked back into the gardens. The roses were in bloom, she lightly touched their velvety petals while traversing through the path that was carved out.

-::::::-

Her mind was busy with the spells that she seemed to know, it was infinite those spells, but some of them were dangerous. They were offensive spells and she could tell by their words that they were very destructive even if it was simply the element of water but she also had a hunch that she didn't need to use words in order to access those magical abilities. Ice was dangerous and she knew that water could be too as seen from floods and heavy rains, not to mention the angry seas. Elira touched the petals lightly, "I wonder if those spells will ever be used. I may remember them now but they seem to be quite dangerous if directed poorly and not only that but I don't believe that I need to use words. It's all so mystifying." Her voice was quiet as she spoke to the rose bushes but there was a small smile playing on her lips. "But there is some good. I have remembered something useful and now I can repay my debt for Metallicana's kindness to me." Once more she sighed but she knew that it was her place as a healer but those spells of destruction still did not sit well with her. And yet she knew that they had been used before, but the more she thought about it, the more she began to feel that she was far more different than she had originally thought.

"How different can I truly be?" she asked herself but the answer came in the form of a memory. It was a ship being tossed around on the angry seas, a mast falling, screams and shouts, and Elira held her hands over her ears as if to shut out the noise. Her mind filled with those horrible images as well as bubbles encircling her, the power of something around her legs pushing her through the water, and finally darkness. Elira had fainted from all the images, she fell onto her back, her hair splayed out behind her in gentle waves of silver aqua. Her brow was furrowed in concern as she lay there unconscious amidst the floral scent of roses.

There was a chill in the air as it caressed her skin, eyes fluttered open to reveal crimson irises, they stared up at the starry night, and she sat up. Her body ached from being in one position for too long, she stretched her sore muscles, and got to her feet. She was unsteady but managed and took a deep breath of the roses once more. Elira carefully took her steps towards the entrance of the gardens, it would be best for her to get some sleep now, and think about those images at a later date. A delicate hand rubbed the back of her neck as she entered the castle which seemed to be as chilly as the air outside. Elira finally made her way into her room, she closed the wooden door, darted for her bed, and slipped beneath the covers. She sighed as her head laid down against the soft pillow, wondering if she would ever figure out who she truly was but she mentally reprimanded herself. _I am here because of Yoko and the kindness of Metallicana. I cannot ask for more than that right now. The time will come for me to know who I am but perhaps not yet. It may be too soon for my fragile mind. For now I am going to get some sleep._

-::::::-

Dawn had approached and with it the sound of blaring horns, red eyes snapped open at the harsh sound, she sat up, looked around for a moment, and decided that it was time to get ready. She changed out of her orange dress and into a lavender one. Her feet slipped into the shoes, which she was beginning to get used to, and headed outside to see what was going on. Her hair fell in waves to the middle of her back as she sauntered through the castle, following the sounds of commotion. It was then that she met up with a serving girl, she tapped her on the shoulder, and the girl turned around.

"Ah Healer! Good morn to you!"

She smiled, "Good morn to you too. What is all the noise?"

"Oh, you wouldn't know! Prince Lars has returned from negotiations with other kingdoms for treaties of peace and allies."

"I see." She watched as the male in question began to walk through the path that was made for him inside the castle. He was grinning and waving to his subjects. It was at this time that she decided to turn away, she had things to do in the Great Priest's chambers. The moment that her back had turned towards the procession, Lars' eyes caught her long silvery aqua hair disappearing down a corridor. Elira had reached Geo's quarters, she knocked once, and entered to see a few villagers sitting in a line. When they saw her, they were about to get up but she put a hand up to stop them, "Please rest. No need to treat me any different than yourselves." They were grateful to her as she only smiled and made her way into the next room.

Geo sat with an elderly woman, her breathing was shallow, and her skin pale. Elira approached her, took the other seat next to the bed, and looked at Geo. "There has been an outbreak of a strange disease. The lower villages are catching it. We're not sure what it is." Crimson eyes turned from the priest to the older woman, Elira place her hand over the woman's forehead, and began the healing process without any words. This event fascinated Geo, he watched as the woman sat up, seemingly completely cured of the disease, but Elira stated, "You may feel alright but please take it easy. I cannot heal what your body has endured during the sickness only the sickness itself. So be careful." The woman nodded and thanked her many times, "It was no trouble." There was a smile on her face as the woman was helped out of the room by her children, who also thanked Elira.

She gave an exasperated sigh as Geo asked, "Would you like some priestly robes? No incantations today?" At this she laughed heartily while he grinned, she explained to him that once she discovered the treasure trove of spells she knew, she did not need incantations said aloud, she only needed to recite them in her mind. The priest nodded and told the next person to come in. The man sat down, stated that he had fallen off his horse, and that his ankle was swollen. "Hmm, it seems you sprained it. We'll have to make a poultice for it." He looked at Elira with his dark eyes, "Unless you can think of something?"

At this she put a hand on her chin in thought, "Hmm..." It seemed that she was combing through her knowledge and an idea sprung to her mind. Immediately she got up and went to the table where Geo had all his herbs and equipment laid out. Crimson irises quickly scanned everything until she found what she was looking for, she placed a few grassy herbs into a small burlap sack, followed by some crushed herbs, and finally strands of seaweed. She folded the burlap sack in such a way that she could tie it onto the villager's ankle. The mysterious woman sat down, wrapped the poultice around his ankle, placed her palm over it, and it glowed blue. The villager sat amazed at her actions, as did Geo. "There. Just keep this on as much as possible but stay off your foot. Be sure to keep it a little moist as well but not too wet. In a week take it off and your ankle will be fine."

"Thank you so much Great Priest and Healer. Thank you, thank you!" He exited the room still thanking them while Geo looked over at her and smiled.

"What did you do?"

"I used some herbs found in the wild as well as those used to cure stomach troubles. But what will really help him is the seaweed I added. I've learned that my powers can be contained in anything found in the sea, so that spell will stay in the seaweed as long as he keeps it mildly damp. It will help heal his ankle," she explained.

Geo smiled, "I see. You are truly a special person to have graced Metallicana." At this she only smiled in return as the next villager entered to be helped or cured by the Great Priest or the Healer. Once the last villager was in the room, Geo heard a knock on his door, he excused himself, to answer it. When he opened the door, he came face to face with the prince of the kingdom. Geo bowed, "It's good to have you back young prince. What brings you here?"

The male stepped inside, his dark green eyes traveled to the open door for the treatment room, there his eyes laid upon the silvery haired woman that had caught his attention earlier. "Her." Geo nodded and allowed him to follow into the room. It was then that Elira had been gently prodding the teenager's wrist. Once she hit the affected area, the girl winced, and began to sniffle.

Elira patted her gently, "There, there. It's alright. I'll get this fixed up for you." She put her left hand on top of the wrist and the right below it. Her eyes became half-lidded as the blue glow encircled the girl's wrist as it emitted from her palms. It was fascinating to watch as the minute ancient symbols wove around in a diamond circle. Once it was completed the blue glow faded and Elira returned to normal. She lifted her crimson eyes to the teen and smiled while patting her wrist. "All better. But be gentle because it still needs to heal on its own, I only helped it along." The girl nodded, left her seat on the bed, and hugged Elira. The woman was stunned but quickly returned the warm embrace. "You're welcome honey."

The villager thanked them graciously before leaving, gave a quick curtsy to the prince, and left to tell others of the wonderful Healer. Elira knitted her brow together but it was clear she was happy with the outcome as their was a smile on her face. Geo grinned, "You're doing very well. I think you've paid us back for helping you."

She shook her head, "No. Until I can regain my memory, I will continue to help Metallicana. It's the least I can do. You and Yoko saved my life."

"Alright. I want you to meet someone." Her crimson eyes looked upon the man wearing the armor, her eyes traveled to the large sword that was strapped to his back, it was intriguing, and seemed to jostle her memory a little but otherwise the man was new to her. "This is Lars. He's Sheila's brother and the prince of Metallicana." It was a few moments but Elira rose from her seat, curtsied in her short dress to the prince. "Your highness this is Elira. She was found by Yoko and is now serving Metallicana."

Crimson eyes met his green ones as he replied, "It's a pleasure to meet someone so unique in the kingdom. Don't worry too much, someone as special as you doesn't need formalities with the others, me included. Just call me Lars."

The smile she gave the prince caused him to stare at those lips before traveling up to her crimson eyes, "I fear that I cannot do that your highness. For if you are the prince of this kingdom then I will treat you as such. Do forgive my forward manners but it is only proper as others would not have the luxury of calling you by your name. So I will not indulge in such actions."

"Alright then." He turned to Geo, "I have to go see my father but there is probably going to be a celebration tonight. You're both invited to come." The two nodded as he excused himself, Geo looked at Elira, who looked at him, and both looked at the door.

"I may not show up. All I have are short dresses and I'm not one for fancy parties," stated Elira. "I like to watch the waves crash against the shore line at night but I may take a walk." The Great Priest nodded as they both left the quarters of the priest. They went their separate ways but he noticed that she went towards her room, Geo paused a few minutes, and noticed that she reappeared wearing a long coat that was buttoned up. His brown eyes held a light in them as he watched her leave the castle, he knew that she was heading to the lower towns.

"Hmm...Kall-su is supposed to be arriving some time. Perhaps he'll also enter through the lower towns..." Geo turned around to return to his quarters wearing a grin on his face.


	3. Chapter 3: The Ice Lord

**Disclaimer: **I do not own nor claim to own the characters involved in the _Bastard!_ series, they belong to Kazushi Hagiwara. I only claim ownership of Elira as she is of my own creation as well as any spells that are read here. Spells are read in Latin even though the translation is not perfect.

_**Haunting Melodies**_

Chapter 3 - The Ice Lord

Silver drops fell from the swollen clouds above, her feet were covered in mud, and yet she pushed onward. Moving from one home to the next in an effort to help as many of the people of the lower town as she could. What she didn't know was that there was someone else present as well, someone who could sense her ability to use water magic. Crimson eyes were warm to those that thanked her while a smile graced her lips but the surge in power didn't go unnoticed to the healer. She was trudging through the rain with her hair matted against her face. _My power is stronger...is it because of the rain? Does my power increase when I'm around a water source? Is it because I use water magic that it becomes stronger when water is readily available?_ There were many other questions bouncing around in her mind but she couldn't think on it for very long as she reached the last house. It was abandoned, she knocked a few times, pushed the door open, and ventured inside. It was cold, dusty, and smelled of decay. Immediately she put a hand up to her nose, to block the stench, but it still permeated.

"Something is off about this house," came her quiet whisper. It was then that she felt a draft, something had passed by her, and she could feel a presence behind her. Not wanting to turn around, Elira pressed forward into the house. The stillness was beginning to unnerve the composed woman, she could still feel that presence behind her, almost pressing against her, until she happened upon a room. The door was open and inside lay the decayed remains of the prior owner of the house. His skin had shriveled against his bones, eye sockets were gaping holes, and his was tongue hanging out of his mouth. Elira bit her lip to keep from screaming, the presence behind her was pushing, and she couldn't take any more of it. The woman turned around to face that creature and she stared into the stoney eyes of a ghost. Its hair was floating around the decayed visage, bony hands hung at its side, and it floated there wearing nothing but chains around its ankles and what looked like a burlap sack over its very source of the disease that plagued the lower town had made its presence known. Its bony hand reached up towards her face, instinctually a flurry of spells were released all at once, the small house was torn asunder by the sheer force but the body of the deceased owner was kept in perfect condition.

The creature howled in agony as the rip tide current of water tore at its ghostly limbs, the creature eventually turned into nothing but dust that was carried away on the water current that Elira had created. She was breathing heavily, her hands were shaking, and she could barely control the tears that wanted to escape her eyes. But before all of that, she used her magic to make a grave for the owner, once it was created, and sealed off; only then did she turn around to see a pale man on a white horse with icy blue eyes staring at her. Elira quickly curtsied then rushed off as fast as she could through the streets of the lower town, yet there were the hoofbeats behind her. _Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear._ Her mind went in loops until she reached the castle doors once more. By then she was soaked through but she didn't care, her feet carried her straight to the doors that would lead to the party, and she couldn't bring herself to open them. Once more she bit her lower lip, she needed to talk with Geo, or at least someone to get her mind off of what she just occurred.

Elira sighed in defeat, she turned around, and sauntered away from the room; back to her own room not realizing that the man who had seen her in the town was now watching her in the castle. She entered her room, closed the door, removed her coat, and placed it by a window. She removed her shoes and immediately began using a cloth to wipe her feet clean. Once that was finished, Elira removed her dress, it hit the floor in a wet heap, and a few images passed through her mind. Images that consisted of swirling bubbles, a falling mast, and screams. Elira placed her hands over her ears and crouched onto the ground, she stayed like that for some time before the images and noise faded. There were tears in her eyes, the woman wiped them away, and proceeded to dress in a nightgown.

Once under the warm cover of her quilt, she let out a sigh, wiped her eyes once more, and closed them. Her mind was filled with darkness until that ghostly face made an appearance, Elira sat up, and rubbed her eyes. "There's no way that creature can survive all those spells..." The woman sighed once more, placed her body back on the bed, and closed her eyes once more. This time she kept the image of the waves lapping at the sand in her mind. It calmed her down and her body slowly slid into a deep sleep.

-::::::-

Dawn approached the kingdom, Elira was already awake, and adorned in a pale yellow dress. The amnesiac woman floated through the castle quietly until she reached the room of the Great Priest. She noticed that it was open so she entered, her shoes made the slightest noise on the stone floor, and it was then that she realized Geo was talking with someone. Both of their voices were quiet and she couldn't hear any thing of what was said except that it had something to do with her. Elira composed herself and rapped her knuckle on the wooden door. "Geo?"

Brown eyes darted over his shoulder, "One minute Elira."

"Okay," came her reply.

The voices were hushed once more and the person that the priest had been talking with finally appeared. It was the man from before, with the icy eyes, and she averted her gaze from him. He looked at her briefly before leaving the room and her own crimson eyes looked at Geo's brown ones. "Sorry about that, it seems that you two have already met." She nodded, "That's Kall-su, the Ice Lord."

"I see."

Geo looked at her, "What happened in the lower town?" Elira looked at him and explained everything that occurred in the lower town. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "I see but you're not hurt right?" She nodded and he gave a relieved sigh, "That's good. At least now the threat has been eliminated." Elira nodded once more and stood while Geo sat at his desk, "So, is there anything else that you wanted to discuss today?"

"Not particularly."

"Well we don't have any one right now so you're free to do what you want." Elira nodded and left his room, she traveled through the halls, and managed to find her way into the garden once more. "What are we going to do if those of the Southern Kingdom decided to attack us? What will happen to our peace?" Geo only shook his head at the information that Kall-su had brought to him and he continued looking at his scrolls. "I will have to inform the king of this development soon."

Meanwhile, Elira found herself quite content with the garden, the scent of the flowers relaxed her, but the image of that creature's face made her shiver. And yet she knew that there were far worse things than such a ghastly being hovering around the surface of the world. A sigh escaped her parted lips but her energy was soon revitalized as she took in a deep breath of a flower. Lips curled into a smile at the scent, it was so comforting, just like the waves, and her fingers gently stroked the velvet texture of the petals.

"You like them?" The voice startled her, she turned around quickly to see the prince standing there, and she curtsied to him in her yellow dress. He chuckled, "Don't worry about it. I love the serenity of this place. I always try to come here to be alone."

"Then I shall leave."

Lars blinked at her, "No it's alright. I should have voiced it differently. What I meant was that I come here to be away from my sister. Right now my father is searching for suitors for her." Elira blinked a few times and tilted her head in confusion, "He's looking for someone to be her husband." At this, Elira nodded in understanding before turning around to look at the roses once more. The prince smiled and stood next to her, "It's peaceful here right?"

"Yes. It's so relaxing like watching the waves roll in and out on the sand." Lars smiled while she continued, "Is is alright to be talking with me so freely?" Crimson eyes gazed up into his dark green eyes and a warm smile spread across his face as he nodded. An equally warm smile was returned to him, one that made her irises twinkle, "That's good. I was wondering if I had been doing something wrong."

"Don't worry about it. I'll take the fall for it."

"Ah but I can't have you getting hurt now can I?"

"But you could heal me right?" It was a few minutes but the pair soon laughed together at the long winded joke. Lars looked down at the silvery aqua haired healer, "You have a beautiful laugh Elira." She replied the same thing to him which made the prince chuckle. "So how did you come to be here in Metallicana?"

"I was found by Yoko and Dark Schneider on a beach. Other than that I don't remember anything."

"Amnesia is a tough battle."

Her visage turned his way as she replied, "What will be, will be." Lars nodded to her and the two of them simply spent some time admiring the flowers although he watched her as she inhaled the scent of different ones. It seemed that she was genuinely curious about how each flower smelled and this made Lars smile at her. He realized that everything she did was childlike, as if it was the first time she had encountered such prince followed her around the garden and it was apparent that she didn't seem to mind one bit. Lars watched Elira once they reached a bench, she took a seat, and he sat down next to her. "Your sword is familiar to me."

"It's called Heavy Metal and it uses the power of dragons." She tilted her head once more and this made him smile, "I have the blood of dragons running through my veins." Lars smiled as she seemed genuinely interested in what he was about to say. Lars began to explain about the Dragon Knight, the fight for survival against Dark Schneider, and the day that he was sealed away in Lucien. Elira stared in fascination at the story but he continued on about how Dark Schneider was freed, how he was a baby dragon, and the destruction of Anthrax. "It's been a long road of trial but we're all doing better now."

Elira smiled and looked to the sky, "It truly is fascinating, this world." Lars nodded in agreement as they sat there in silence with nothing but the wind rustling the leaves of the bushes. She stood up, curtsied to the prince, and stated with a smile, "I must be going. I have to help Geo." The prince nodded, stood up, took her hand, and placed a kiss on the back. The woman blinked a few times in confusion which made Lars smile.

"It's a thank you gift. Perhaps we could do this again sometime." She nodded, curtsied once more, and left the garden to return to Geo's side. Lars was left standing there with a smile on his face. "She is truly something else."

-::::::-

A low hum emitted from her throat as she made her way through the castle towards Geo's quarters. Her time with the prince was gratifying and she had come to know more about the world around her. Elira felt less of a stranger in it although there were still a lot of quirky people in it. Her mind had turned to all of the people she had met so far and they were all fascinating. _I wonder if there are more people like them in the world? If there are, they may not be so kind._ For some reason the thought dropped her cheerful attitude but she shook her head as if to shake away the thoughts. Elira returned to humming as she passed a man in the hall.

"Your humming is lovely," he stated.

Elira paused in her steps and humming to turn around; the man that was standing there was the one she had run into in the lower town. Her eyes blinked a few times before a smile appeared on her lips, "Thank you." She curtsied to him, "I am Elira."

"Kall-su." With that they parted ways which only left Elira more curious about the man. She had heard of him from Geo but his demeanor was far from any one else she had met. Kall-su stopped in his steps, glanced over his shoulder, and noticed that she had resumed her walk and humming. Piercing blue eyes continued to stare at her, the water aura was strong from her. "Interesting...her magic is strong, it feels even stronger than mine." The Ice Lord soon continued on towards his own destination.

The woman looked inside Geo's room but he was nowhere to be found, so she left, and decided to wander around the castle. During her exploration, she noticed a flash of orange hair around a corner, and Elira grinned. Yoko was around so Elira followed around the bend, intent on surprising the young woman, but when she popped around the corner, she saw that Yoko was pushed against the wall by the tall white haired male. Their bodies were pushed close to one another and Yoko's face was flushed, Elira immediately felt her own face heat up at the encounter, she stuttered, "S-s-sorry! I-I-I di-didn't m-mean t-t-to!"

"Here I thought you were so composed," stated the male cooly.

Elira's face brightened even more as Yoko retorted, "Rushe! Leave her alone!" The male turned to look at the orange haired woman in his grasp, he smirked, and began to kiss her passionately.

"Your friend doesn't seem to mind at all." His blue eyes looked over at Elira once more, the amnesiac immediately darted away while he laughed, and returned to nuzzling Yoko.

Her feet carried her quickly through the castle, her face was still beat red, she bumped into someone, and she stumbled backwards but managed to catch herself. Crimson irises looked up to see Lars, she curtsied to him and he looked at her with a worried expression. "Are you alright Elira?"

She stumbled along her words, "Um..I wanted to surprise Yoko..and..then..the man..her...against the wall.." Pale hands covered her red face and she ran away from Lars, he looked at her with a knit brow, and his dark green eyes focused on the direction that she had come from. Lars sighed, rubbed the side of his head, and made his way in the direction that Elira had just left. However Elira bumped into someone else, she curstied once more, and looked up to see the pale blue eyes of the Ice Lord. He simply stared at her and she muttered the same thing she had said to Lars, "Um..I wanted to surprise Yoko..and..then..the man..her...against the wall.." Kall-su simply stared at her, she covered her face with her hands once more, and was about to dart away. However he grabbed her elbow, fingers parted to let her crimson eyes peek through at his cold visage, and he gently tugged her in his direction.

"Come with me." Elira did as she was told to, her hands had since left her face, and it wasn't long until she realized that he took her to his room. She was sitting at a wooden table, there was a cup of tea placed in front of her, "Drink." Her hand picked up the cup, she lifted it to her nose, took a deep inhale, and sighed. "It's better if you drink it." Elira closed her eyes and took the first tentative sip, it slid down her throat smoothly, and she sighed happily. Kall-su nodded when she reopened her eyes, the redness in her face abated slowly. "Better?"

"Yes, thank you very much. I am terribly sorry for imposing on you."

"If I thought you were imposing then I wouldn't have brought you here."

Elira blinked a few times and chuckled while taking another sip of the tea, "It's lovely. It's very calming." Kall-su nodded as he watched her enjoy the cup of tea. When half of it had disappeared, Elira looked at him once more, with a warm smile. "Still, thank you."

"Schneider can be like that with Yoko. He used to be a womanizer but has since fallen in love with her." The woman with silvery aqua hair nodded, "It's not your fault that you came across that situation. It happens but next time be prepared for it."

She chuckled, "Oh don't worry, next time I'll be fully prepared!" He simply nodded, "But...Yoko called him Rushe and you just called him Schneider. What's his real name?"

"Gara, Arshes Nei, Abigail, and myself call him Dark Schneider as that is what we know him as but he was locked inside Yoko's friend Rushe so that's why she calls him that name."

"Oh I see. Prince Lars told me about that but I didn't understand until now." She nodded and took another sip of the tea, "Now I know."

"Do you know magic?"

"Yes, water magic. I can use it for healing and destruction." Kall-su simply nodded to her, she finished her tea, placed the cup on the table, and stood up. He watched her with mild interest as she curtsied to him. "Thank you for the tea and the conversation. I feel much better. If there is anything that I can do for you, then please do not hesitate to ask me, Lord Kall-su."

"No title is necessary."

Elira smiled at him and nodded, "Okay...Kall." He looked at her as she excused herself and left his room. Blue eyes traveled to stare at the cup sitting on the table. Kall-su sighed but removed it from his sight, wondering why he had even taken the time out of his day to help her.

Yet, the amnesiac found herself staring out at the ocean, the rough nature of the water fascinated her, and it was then that she heard a faint voice. Elira strained her ears to hear what that voice was saying but she couldn't understand it. She sighed in defeat, she was about to leave but a scream resounded in her mind, and she placed her hands over her ears. Once it cleared, her gaze returned to the ocean, the faint voice had returned, and Elira stared at the surface. She opened her mouth to say something and immediately unknown words formed into a song. The raging ocean calmed down and she closed her mouth, the voice was gone, and she scratched the back of her head in confusion. Elira shrugged and headed back into the castle.

-::::::-

A soft voice echoed around the empty halls of the castle, Elira had taken to perching herself on one of the open windows in the stairwell. She leaned her upper body on the sill, her face was peeking out into the evening light. She could hear the waves crashing against the sand somewhere, her voice carried out into the air but it echoed around the castle as well. Words that were indistinguishable but carried such a joyful tone. Elira yearned for the ocean, she could hear a voice out there calling her, so she responded to it by singing. She stopped and listened for a reply but nothing came, she could hear the waves soften out, as if they were content with her singing. Elira smiled and left her perch only to see Kall-su standing there.

"Good evening Kall."

"You were singing." She nodded, "Why?"

She fidgeted a little but replied, "I...heard a voice calling to me from the sea and I can hear when the water gets rough. So I sing to that voice in hopes of a reply."

"Do you ever get a response?"

"No but the ocean calms down. I can't really explain it but it makes me happy to sing." She smiled at him, Kall-su continued to look at her, and she felt a little embarrassed. "Forgive me, I have not told any one of this since I felt that it was my own issue to deal with."

"Don't worry, I won't disclose it to anyone."

"I appreciate it."

"Can you sing for me?"

Elira blinked and fidgeted once more, "I'm not sure...I've never sung for anyone other than the ocean and that was only recently...like this late afternoon."

"Sing." She fidgeted once more and searched her mind for a memory of a song that she could use but found that they were all in a strange language. Elira took in a deep breath, ran her hands through her wavy hair, and let that breath out. Her crimson eyes traveled to the ocean, she thought of it and the voice, and somehow a song came to her mind. A smile graced Elira's lips, she closed her eyes, and began to sing in that foreign language. Kall-su listened closely, the language itself was strange but flowed wonderfully over her tongue, and he was entranced by it. Footsteps in the distance went unheard as Kall-su listened to Elira sing, those footsteps paused to stare at the singing form of the woman who had joined him in the garden. The prince hid behind the nearest wall, he could feel himself relax from her voice, and he began to wonder who she truly was. Elira's voice faded out gently, her eyes opened, and she averted her eyes. "It was beautiful. Thank you."

"You're welcome and have a good evening Kall. If you'll excuse me." She darted past him but he caught her arm. Her eyes looked into his pale blue ones. "If you're going to ask me what the song means, I'm afraid that I cannot tell you. I don't know." Kall-su released her arm and she briskly sauntered past him and the prince went unnoticed on the way out as she went to return to her own room for the evening.

The moment that she left the vicinity, Lars turned the corner to face Kall-su. Ice blue eyes locked with dark green ones and the sorcere of ice stared at the prince. "Why did you want her to sing?"

"To confirm something."

"Confirm what Kall?" At this the lord simply shrugged and moved past the prince. "Kall." He turned to look at the prince over his shoulder, there was a faint smirk on his pale face, "What do you know about her?"

"Something profoundly interesting."

"Then tell her. You know she has amnesia."

"No. It is for her to rediscover when she's ready."

"But why?"

Kall-su turned to face the prince, "You should never tell an amnesic something of their past, they may not believe it, and then it would be lost forever." Lars simply nodded as the Ice Lord left the vicinity. The prince looked towards the open window once more and thought back to the words Elira had sung, nothing made sense to him, but her voice held some sort of power. Of that he was certain.

Elira had entered her room, it was nice to be alone, and she could still feel the power from her song resonating inside of her, as if it wanted to burst through her body. She wrapped her arms around herself, afraid that her own limbs would be torn apart, and eventually that feeling of resonation abated. She sighed, headed for her window, pushed it open, and stared out at the moon that hung over the sea. A deep breath was inhaled of the sea air, the ocean was calm, she could feel it in her bones, and yet that only raised more questions for her. Elira rested her face on her palms while her elbows were rested on the sill. "Why do you call me?" She asked quietly, there was no response, "Who am I?"

Little did she know but the prince had been on his balcony, her words were carried towards him by the wind, and he knit his brow together. He whispered, "I wish I could help you Elira." Dark green eyes watched the mysterious young woman as she gazed out at the sea, the moonlight reflected off of her hair the same way it did on the surface of the ocean. Lars let out a sigh, ran a hand through his hair, and was about to turn away but her last question reached him. He stared at her and felt pity for the young woman, she was fighting a battle with no end, and there were no allies to help her out. "Except Kall doesn't want to share. I can understand but not even a hint? Would a hint hurt her that much?" He sighed and left the balconey only when Elira disappeared into her own room.

Kall-su was in his room with a book open, there was a picture sketched of a half human, half fish creature. His eyes scanned the text, it talked about the creatures beneath the sea, many names were given for them from different areas of the land but the one he found most interesting was the one called Siren. As the sirens sang to lure sailors into the ocean and call forth rough waves and he was sure this was what Elira was however there was some doubt. "She said that the water calmed down after she sang. What type of sea maiden is she? A Merrow, a Siren, a Mermaid? Or are all of these the same name for the same type?" He turned the page and there was no sketch to be found but the entry was even more fascinating than the last. Kall-su read the passage, it was informative for him, he closed the book, glanced outside his window at the still surface of the ocean, and let a smile grace his lips. "Something profoundly interesting huh? I would have to say that this exceeds my expectations, that is, if she truly is one." The Ice Lord held that smile on his face for some time before whispering, "Metallicana is blessed in more than one way for her to be wandering these halls."


	4. Chapter 4: Hidden Stalker

**Disclaimer: **I do not own nor claim to own the characters involved in the _Bastard!_ series, they belong to Kazushi Hagiwara. I only claim ownership of Elira as she is of my own creation as well as any spells that are read here. Spells are read in Latin even though the translation is not perfect.

_**Haunting Melodies**_

Chapter 4 - Hidden Stalker

Many months had passed since Elira had discovered the voice in the ocean, there were rumors being passed around about impending war, and she knit her brow. Not only was that on her mind but there was the constant feeling of being followed or watched, she even felt that awkwardness when in her room bathing, and now she stood waiting for Geo to be finished speaking with whomever was in the priest's room. Once the door was opened, she curtsied in her red dress to the princess, when the woman with dark hair and green eyes passed by, only then did she enter the room to speak with the great priest. Only after had the pleasantries been exchanged did she move forward with information on her dilemma that had occurred lately.

She took a seat in front of him and said quietly, "I feel as if someone is following me around and watching me. Even when I'm in my room."

"Hmm...this is perplexing. When did this start?"

"I'm not sure. I only became more aware of it a few days ago. I thought it was my imagination but now I'm beginning to believe that someone _is _following me." Geo was about to speak but Elira raised her hand to hush him, "It's not Gara. He would never do something like this, if anything he would come directly to speak with me and he has other things to worry about." Geo smiled at her and nodded while she wrapped her arms around herself, "Even now I have that feeling."

"Is there any place that you don't feel this eerie air?"

"Not really. I've been everywhere, the kitchen, the gardens, the balconies, the library. I've been everywhere but the labyrinth."

"Don't go in there. You'll be lost."

"I know but I'm wondering if I get lost would that feeling still be there?"

Geo rubbed his chin, "That's a good question. If someone is following you and you moved quick enough then they would also get lost, which would make this feeling of being watched disappear." Elira nodded, "It's something to consider but only the royal family knows the way out of the labyrinth so if you must, I can get Princess Sheila to go with you."

"No, I would rather have Prince Lars. He and I have already had some conversation and I feel at ease with him but perhaps it's because of Heavy Metal." Geo laughed with her and she continued, "It may seem strange but I do feel safe around him."

"Alright then, let's go see if the prince is not doing anything. Which I'm sure he isn't since he'll be off hiding away from the princesses visiting Metallicana today."

"Oh? He needs a wife?"

"Yes. Unfortunately he's not interested in anyone now so he's hiding in the gardens." She smiled and Geo smirked while the pair left his room. They headed towards the gardens and he watched Elira as kept her arms wrapped around her, as if that feeling was always there. Her crimson eyes even looked around to make sure that there was no one there. "No one is with us Elira."

"I know but that feeling..."

"I understand." It was all he said as they entered the garden. Immediately Lars was there sniffing the roses, the prince turned in their direction the moment he heard their footsteps but held a questioning look towards Elira. "My prince," said Geo with a bow while Elira curtsied. He nodded while the priest continued, "This may seem like a strange request but could you go with Elira into the labyrinth. She has felt that someone is following her around for the last few days and I want to see if venturing into the hedge maze will help at all. The royal family are the only ones who know the way out once someone is lost."

Lar's dark green eyes softened as he approached Elira, he took her hand in his, and kissed the back of it. "I would be honored to accompany you into the labrynth." Elira was soothed by that and Geo beagn to lead them out of the gardens. Brown eyes and dark green eyes both watched her as she kept extremely close to the prince, something that made Geo think what she said was real, and he began to wonder that if it was true; who would be interested in her?

-::::::-

Green leaves surrounded the pair, crimson eyes looked at the path that was being lead by the prince of Metallicana, and she couldn't help the small smile that was on her face. She felt at ease wandering the labyrinth with him and yet that feeling of someone watching her was in full force. Elira unconsciously moved closer to him, her hand snaked around his arm secretly, and her fingers gripped his forearm. Dark green eyes looked down to see her as she glanced around. A smile lit his face, Lars removed her arm from his, when she looked at him, he immediately picked her up bridal style. She squeaked out her surprise but he simply held onto her and began to run through the labyrinth.

Elira wrapped her arms around his neck, buried her face into his chest, and closed her eyes tightly. It wasn't that he had picked her up so suddenly or that he was running quite quickly through the maze but it was the fleeting feeling of still being watched. A few minutes later, Lars paused, looked at the fork, and darted down the left side. Elira was able to open her eyes to look around, the prince had slowed his pace, and eventually paused. He placed her on her feet once more but watched as her arm wrapped around his for safety and he couldn't help but continue to smile at her.

"Do you still feel like you're being watched?" The woman thought for a minute, shivered involuntarily, and nodded. "Hmm..." Lars directed her towards a few more paths before they reached the center of the hedge maze. There was a dragon fountain with water flowing, Lars took a seat on the edge of the fountain with Elira, she leaned over to place the tips of her fingers into the cool water. The prince watched as she relaxed near the water however her face gazed around once more. "Is that feeling back?"

"Yes."

"Is there anything more that I can do?"

She sighed, "I am afraid not. Geo thought that this would help but it appears that it doesn't. Who ever is following me seems to be able to keep up with you or follow our scent."

"What if it's not a person?" She looked at him with her crimson eyes, "What if it's something like a ghost or the undead? They would be able to scent us out and keep up with us."

"If it is something of a magical nature, then I can deal with that." At this Lars quirked an eyebrow at her, when she stood up, she looked at him. "May I?" Elira motioned for her to step into the fountain, the prince nodded, and he watched as she removed her shoes and set foot into the fountain. "Only other magic users know about this but let's keep it a secret between us for now." Lars immediately nodded as she recited words in her mind much more quickly than she could ever do out loud. Instantly the water flowed up and around her body like a ribbon, the prince was in shock at her magical ability, and the water continued to flow around her until she was covered in a swirling ribbon of water. That ribbon twirled into the air, it formed into a solid sphere of spinning water, and streams began to spread out from the water.

It covered the pair completely and moved slowly out, as if testing the local area for any physical forms, and ten feet away from them the water revealed a humanoid figure. It was invisible but soon took its true form, the ghostly image appeared, and Elira gasped as she recognized that bony structure. Her eyebrows immediately shot down in anger, the creature lunged towards her, and Lars was too stunned to even move. He looked on as the water that Elira had summoned changed direction, it formed a barricade in front of them to block the creature.

"What is that?" asked the prince.

"The cause of the disease from the lower town. I thought I had eradicated its existence but apparently I was wrong. There's only so much that water can do without it destroying everything else."

"Do you have a spell?" Elira's mind immediately flipped open the book of spells, she searched the strange language for something that dealt with spirits. There was a singular spell, the amnesic brought it forward, and watched as her wall of water turned into a very fine mist. "This is interesting." Elira nodded but the pair watched as the mist enveloped the ghost who began to scream and thrash around. The mist wound its way around it, forcing it to be sealed into a sphere, that sphere eventually disintegrated into nothingness; leaving the pair to be alone once more. "Is that feeling of being watched gone?"

She sighed, "No."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault your highness."

He stood up, approached her, and placed his hand on the side of her face. Lars' voice was quiet, "You can call me Lars when we're alone." She nodded at him with a smile while he trailed his hand down to her shoulder, her arm, and finally her hand. He picked it up, kissed the back of it, and added, "This will be our little secret." Elira nodded as he released her and helped her back into her shoes, "Geo told me that you feel safe around me."

The strange woman nodded, she pulled her silvery aqua hair across one shoulder, "I do. I'm not sure why but I do feel safe."

"That's good. I wouldn't want you to feel threatened around me because that's not good for a prince."

"The safety I feel around you is not the same as the others. It's different, hard to explain."

"You don't have to say any more Elira."

She looked up at him and gave a warm smile, "Thank you Lars."

-::::::-

They parted ways at the entrance of the labyrinth, Elira watched as Lars walked away from her, crimson eyes settled on his back that carried Heavy Metal, the story relayed to her was not one she would ever forget, and she felt sad about his parting. Elira sighed, turned around, and started to walk her own way; mainly to tell Geo that the feeling of being watched never vanished. As she sauntered away from the prince, he turned to look at her departing figure, he watched as her hips swayed, and her long wavy hair bounced with every step she took. He inaudibly sighed and turned away from her, he knew that he could not help her, but he clenched a hand over his heart, as if the muscle in his chest was aching, and he knew that he had begun to feel a specific emotion towards the woman who could command the water element.

Geo rubbed his beard, "I'm sorry that didn't help you Elira but I'm sure we'll find an answer to this riddle." She smiled at him and nodded, "Is there anything else that you want to tell me?"

Elira nodded, "When Lars was leaving me, I felt sad. I'm not sure why but I really felt sad at his departure."

"Interesting." She tilted her head at him, "I'll have to analyze this a bit more with the prince, that is if you don't mind." Elira shook her head and Geo smiled, "That's good. Well then get some sleep tonight, I'm sure it's going to be very busy tomorrow." The woman nodded and left his company, kindly closing his door as well, and he grinned to himself. "It seems that Elira may be developing a crush on our prince. But I will need to see where he stands on this as well. What do you think Gara?"

A large man appeared from the shadows, "Well...Kall told me something interesting and if it is true then Lars marrying her is the best course of action Metallicana can take."

"What did he tell you?"

"It's a secret." Gara grinned while Geo sighed and the ninja master disappeared into the shadows once more.

"What am I going to do with these crazy people who can wield powerful magic?" He only shook his head while turning to his scrolls. One was laid out, it had an image of a half human, half-fish creature. Geo's brown eyes widened as he unrolled the scroll and began to read the contents contained within. "So that's what he thinks she may be. If it is true then this revelation is something that needs to stay hidden from her and never shown until she can remember herself. If Elira disbelieves this then her true self is forever lost and I cannot allow that to happen." It was a promise that he made and one that he knew the other magic users would keep as they would never want to harm a creature so magnificent as Elira; if she happen to be what they thought her to be.

Inside her room she shivered, that feeling was back in full force but she changed into a short nightgown. Crimson eyes gazed around her room and finally she bit her lower lip out of frustration, her fangs had pierced the skin, and a small blood droplet fell to the floor. "Whoever is there, show yourself! I'm tired of having this feeling of being watched!" There was silence and she was about to shout again until a surge of magic resounded around her, she knew the feeling all too well, and her crimson orbs looked around the room for the source. Elira took a few steps but paused as a voice echoed from underneath her.

"I'm right here." She looked down, there was a male head staring up at her from the floor, she screamed, stumbled back, and watched as he emerged fully from the stone floor. Elira was speechless, her mouth couldn't form any words as she looked at the floor then to the man and back again. "I am Abi-" he was cut off as Elira charged him, he was thrown back with so much force that the door splintered open.

"ELIRA!" came the familiar voice of the prince. He ran up the stairs, looked at her as she stood in her short nightgown, and looked at Abigail who was rubbing his head. "Are you alright Elira?" She immediately ran into his arms for safety.

"Lars! I'm so glad that you're here!" Dark green eyes looked at the man as he stood up and her crimson eyes glared at him, "He was watching me! He's the one responsible for giving me that feeling!"

"Abigail why on earth would you stalk her?"

He brushed the dirt from his robes, "To confirm that she is what I believe her to be."

"You still shouldn't stalk her like that."

Elira watched as Abigail bowed to her, "I had no intention to frighten you my lady. Do forgive me?"

A few shallow breaths allowed her to calm down, she dislodged herself from Lars' embrace, and walked up to him with scrutinizing eyes. He stared at her with his yellow irises and she sighed while wearing a tired smile. "It's alright. You've been stalking me for a while right?" He nodded, "Well no more okay?" He nodded once more, "That's good. Oh...I'm sorry that I threw you into the door."

"No worries. It's understandable." He muttered a spell that allowed the door to be reconstructed and Elira held that curious gaze on her visage. "I know necromancy." She nodded and opened her door once more, she bid them good night and gave an extra warm smile towards the prince who returned it. The door was shut and Abigail looked at Lars, "Do you like her?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Come with me and we shall talk more."

As their voices faded away, only then did Elira make her way to her bed, but she paused by the open window, the voice was not there tonight. She sighed, shivered involuntarily, and slipped underneath her covers. Crimson eyes drifted towards the open window, _Why is it not there tonight? Is it because the ocean is calm? Is it because Abigail said something? What is so special about me?_ She sighed, snuggled against the pillow, and drifted off to sleep. _Lars...he's so kind..._

-::::::-

Elira had been healing a small child's ankle, she smiled at him, patted his head, and told him to be more careful. The child hugged her and she returned it just as warmly, she even rubbed his back before he ran out waving to her. "Cute," came her reply. "Next please!" A male teenager sauntered in, she looked at him as he sat down, "What's the matter?" The male simply grinned at her, she began to eye him suspiciously, and the teen grabbed her face. Her eyes widened before darting down in anger, the male tried to force her to kiss him, but she bit her lower lip again, and flipped through her spellbook. Instantly he was pushed against the wall by an arm of water that was in the shape of a dragon's leg. He gasped at her, "Don't do something so foolish ever again." Her voice was dark as the claw released its hold on the male, he scrambled out of the room, and she looked at the claw that reformed into a small water dragon. Elira stroked the liquid reptile, "Thank you my friend." She added in a whisper, "You did this on your own. I only summoned you to protect me but you acted out. Thank you." The dragon beamed with pride as it faded away into mist.

"Impressive."

She looked over her shoulder to see Abigail emerge from the floor, "So that is your preferred method of transportation?"

He only shrugged, "A baby water dragon. How fascinating."

"I don't think so. I know a lot of spells, enough to fill a large book of them but I don't think they are spells that others can use."

"You are correct. They are spells tailored to only you and that is why that dragon acted on his own. When you summoned him for protection, he immediately knew of your predicament, and that gave him a will all his own. When you summon creatures of water, they all have free will because of what you cannot remember."

"Should you be telling me this?" He shrugged once more which made her smile, "Thank you Abigail. I appreciate the information. Now I know but he was really cute, I miss him already."

"I'm sure you will see more of him." Elira nodded as the next patient entered, he watched intently as she healed a laceration on the middle-aged man's arm, it was entirely healed, and she bid him farewell while he jovially thanked her. "You are very kind Elira." She flashed him that same warm smile again as the patients came and went and he thought, _You are more special than you can ever care to imagine. I do hope that war does not come here until you are able to find out who you truly are._ Abigail was about to seep into the ground once more but not before Elira had said her farewell, he smiled, and disappeared.

As the day wore on, Elira had taken to wandering the market place that day, she could still feel eyes on her, and now she knew it to be Abigail. There was a smile on her face that she couldn't help because having a stalker was comforting, especially since it was someone as interesting as a necromancer. As she wove between the crowds, she paused at a stand that was selling stained glass, and one caught her eye. It was a half human half fish creature, she approached it, and picked up the trinket. The man was too busy with other customers so he didn't pay any mind to her, and she continued to stare at it. It was only the size of her palm but still so detailed.

"That's a mermaid." Elira looked up to see Lars, she curtsied to him while others did the same but he smiled down at her. "Do you like it?" She nodded while holding it up to catch the light, it was interesting to her and the prince was glad that she had found something that could relate to her. He leaned over and Elira watched as he handed over money to the merchant then looked at Elira, and placed his hands over hers which still held the trinket. "It's a gift, for you."

"But why?"

Lars leaned forward and whispered, "Because I really like you Elira." When he leaned back he was smiling, Elira returned that smile.

Her voice was quiet but he still heard her, "Thank you Lars." The prince smiled at her and turned to leave, she stared after him while holding the special gift. Elira smiled and immediately tied it around her neck with the leather strap that was attached to it. "So pretty." Once more she smiled at it and wanted to give him something in return but since she had no money, she ventured into the forest nearby.

Once she obtained what she wanted, she felt those eyes on her, and a smile appeared on her face once Abigail appeared and handed her a small dagger. He was wearing a grin as he watched her work the piece of deadwood she had found in the forest. Somehow she knew what she was doing and the carving soon took the shape of a dragon. Elira carved her name on the bottom of it and handed it to Abigail to inspect. "This is very good Elira. I like it and I'm sure that Lars will like it as well." He noticed the necklace and smiled, "Is that a gift?"

"You know who and you're still stalking me."

"If only to make sure that your safe."

"You don't have to worry about me."

"I know but I'm watching over you for someone else."

"Who?"

"You know who." The male smirked at her while she grinned and handed the dagger back to him. Immediately Elira ran through the marketplace to find the prince, her intuition lead her to the garden, but he was not there. She took a seat on the bench to wait for him. The day progressed towards twilight, she saw the fireflies emerge, and put out her palm. One landed on it and she stared fascinated by it until she head footsteps, crimson irises looked up, and locked with dark green ones. She smiled at the prince as he took a seat next to her. She handed the dragon carving to him, "This is for you. A gift."

"It's beautiful, thank you Elira."

"You're welcome Lars."

The prince leaned towards her but paused, he sighed, and pulled away which only prompted her to stare at him. He gave an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry but I can't do what I want to do until you have your memories back." Elira smiled and he assumed that she was going to pat him on his shoulder, instead she leaned up, and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. Lars was stunned and stared back at her while his left hand went to cup his cheek where she had kissed him. His emerald eyes gazed at her as she nodded to him and left the gardens without another word except that warm smile. Lars smiled, "Elira...you are truly something else." He looked down at the dragon carving, even more joyful than before as he received two gifts from the amnesic woman.


End file.
